Condemnation is the legislative, administrative or judicial process and procedure whereby real property, usually a structure, is deemed legally unfit for occupancy or continued existence due to its physical defects or for other causes, such as use of the property for illegal purposes. It is the legal process by which a governmental body exercises its right of "eminent domain" to acquire private property for public uses, such as redevelopment or highways. A condemnation may be brought is a negotiated sale is unable to be agreed upon. The government may take the property at the time of suit if it deposits money with the court in the amount of the government's appraisal.
